


Shared Light

by meadows



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Bulges and Nooks, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, F/F, Hermaphroditic Trolls, Other, Tentabulges, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-13 17:46:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5711383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meadows/pseuds/meadows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing bored on their journey to the alpha session, Vriska finds a new way to amuse herself. Rose does not consider it nearly as amusing...at first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shared Light

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends, it's been a while! After Hussie dropped [the first extensive and practical explanation](http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=009390) of what caliginous romance actually is, I really wanted to write a fic using this knowledge as a framework. I'm gonna be real with you here, most of the fandom's prior ideas about this quadrant usually involved writing it as some kind of pseudo-BDSM thing or even just outright physical abuse, neither of which sat particularly well with me. You will not find any blood, bondage, or broken bones in this fic--take it or leave it.
> 
> My undying gratitude goes out to [Talkinghands](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Talkinghands), [Twilit](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilit), [JacNoLie](http://jacnolie.tumblr.com), and [Aewin](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Aewin) for all the thoughtful feedback. Without you wonderful people, I would have scrapped this fic for good even though I'd already put in several months worth of work trying to get it right.
> 
> I dedicate this fic to [asterCrash](http://archiveofourown.org/users/asterCrash), in honor of our mutual love for the snarky-broads holy trinity. I really think that [they should talk more](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4511505). The ball, one might say, is in your court now. Will the BIG MAN give us an "ahlly'yoop" for the slam dunk?

* * *

Your name is Vriska Serket and you are bored.

You've been stuck on this meteor for what seems like forever already and you're confident that you've now officially run out of ways to amuse yourself. Any hope of putting the remaining time in this journey to constructive use was dashed after you finished your twentieth tour of the entire facility. No chest left unplundered, no booty unclaimed. You’re sure you've explored all the places. All of them.

At this point you're just wandering aimlessly through one of the many empty wings. Nothing led you to this one area in particular, but you've come to appreciate the fortuitous outcome of your brief jaunt.

The walls around you are lined with countless drawings in chalk and various other specimens creatively repurposed as ink. Spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs adorn a grid filled with seemingly countless pairings of humans and trolls alike. You hadn't known Nepeta that well before she died, seeing as you didn't really think she had anything valuable enough to offer in exchange for your precious time. You had too many irons in the fire to take an interest in whatever trivialities she saw fit to busy herself with.

But that was then. And now? Now you're standing here, hands shoved into your pockets, gazing at her scrawlings and letting it all sink in for the first time.

You smirk, since some of these 'ships' of hers are just downright absurd and implausible. Seriously, how the hell would Karkat❤Dave even work? Others are just way too amusing to imagine, perfect chumps made for chumps. But a few are... well...

You try to ignore the thought that Nepeta just maybe could have been on to something good here with all these shenanigans. You try, and fail miserably. A pattern emerges in your mind and now your gamer's instinct has been awakened. The little shipper girl may have been taking a brute-force approach with her methods, but you know classic min-maxing when you see it. You wonder whether, in her own way, Nepeta wasn't just trying to find the best possible outcome for everybody, and possibly even this whole fucked up game by extension.

You decide to slow your roll and take a step back before you get carried too far away on this little tangent. Or at least, that's what you would do if you had anything better to spend your time on right now. Which, last you checked, you still don't. You rub your chin and give a small appreciative nod for the choice mental images that are now percolating.

This is going to be gr8.

* * *

Since the actual game at hand is on pause, you deem it more than fair to shift your focus to the metagame. Specifically as it relates to quadrants. The 'game' has now become flirting, and the prize is sloppy makeouts. You are confident that you are more than up to the challenge because as far as being good at flirting goes, you are simply the best there is.

As for choosing who to flirt with first, this question lands you in the common room one afternoon to survey the field. You watch everyone shuffling around, chatting, busying themselves with whatever it is people who aren't on important Vriska business see fit to do on this rock. Your eyes settle upon your old moirail and her human matesprit as they pore over another dusty tome of untold contents together. Your brow furrows as you're reminded yet again that you still haven't figured out what went wrong there.

Why was it that fussyfangs started acting so distant? You'd just as easily blame Rose for distracting her, but you've known Kanaya long enough to understand she's not so single-minded. Which really bothers you, because despite the time you spent together, you never felt like you actually 'got' her or whatever. As much as she likes to talk and throw around words as flowery as that garden she used to obsess over, Kanaya is really terrible at getting her point across.

You frown deeply as old emotions start to well up inside and you think you've hit upon exactly what you need for this round of play. Time to roll the dice.

After making a graceful exit from the room and using a small application of your aspect powers to grease the wheels, you’re left casually leaning up against one of the walls in a narrow corridor. You wait patiently until the familiar white luminescence, delivered to you by fortune itself, grows brighter until its point of origin rounds the corner and almost bumps into you.

"V-vriska! What are you doing?" Kanaya says, looking a bit alarmed.

"Hey stranger," you push off from the wall and take a step closer to her, "Was hoping to catch up with you. Got a minute to chat? It's been a while since we've done that, you know."

"Has it?" she says, glancing over your shoulder and looking as if she intends to sidestep you.

"Please, fussyfangs. I'm not dumb. Something's been different about you and I don't just mean the whole glowy deal you've got going on,” you say, making a vague gesture at her presence in general.

"Now is not really a good time," Kanaya moves forward and waves a hand dismissively, "I am supposed to meet--"

You cut her off just as she tries to walk past you, taking her by the shoulders and deftly spinning around to trade spots. There's a soft thump as you push her up against the wall.

"Look," you say a bit breathily, grinning in satisfaction, "I get what you're trying to do here. It's cute, so you win some points for that, but playing hard-to-get doesn't help either of us."

"What? I cannot say I have any clue as to what it is that you mean."

"Come oooooooon Kanaya. Avoiding eye contact, giving me the cold shoulder, and being more snarky than usual," you lower your voice, leaning in closer to her, "You've been turning black for me haven’t you?"

Her eyes widen and she opens her mouth to speak but you press a finger to her lips.

"It's okay. To be honest our whole pale deal wasn't working out so great anyway. Flipping quadrants this way might not be very conventional, but I'm feeling open-minded..."

You lean in closer and brush your fingers against her cheek. Vriska Serket always knows the right move and you’re pretty sure this is definitely the best way to go right now. Your mouth is close enough to hers that you can feel her breath on your lips and...

You feel a rough shove to the chest, making you stumble backwards and almost lose your balance entirely. Before you can regain your footing, a hard slap connects magnificently with your cheek and sends you reeling to the floor.

"What the fuck?" you spit, clutching a hand to your face and trying to prop yourself up to look at her.

Kanaya frowns at you, her expression a mixture of anger and hurt. She looks as though she wants to say something, but instead just shakes her head and pivots to walk away, her brisk steps echoing through the corridor until you are alone yet again.

Your name is Vriska Serket and it occurs to you that this could be more of a challenge than you originally anticipated.

* * *

After a strategic retreat to your respiteblock, you use the rest of the day to plan the next phases of your sophisticated operation. You had been making good progress until your stomach decided to rudely announce its empty state, jolting you back to reality. Casting aside your hastily scrawled notes and maps, you decide to go raid the thermal hull.

The halls are empty as expected, the common room deserted since everyone seems to have retired to their blocks for the day/night/whatever. You fling open the repository of chilled provisions and scoop out an armful of plunder. A perfect setup for another perfect heist executed by the master thief. Who are you kidding though? Just waltzing right in and taking it unopposed is boring as hell.

The universe, it seems, is not without a sense of irony. No sooner does the thought cross your mind than the sound of a book snapping shut loudly interrupts your reverie, making you flinch.

Your gaze sweeps across the dark room until it falls upon the familiar form of your least favorite human girl. Rose shoots a stone-faced glare back at you from one of the nearby couches, her figure draped in shadows. Was she sitting there the whole time?

"Um... hi?" you venture, still frozen in place while mentally calculating how quickly you can get to the doorway and abscond with your spoils.

Rose offers nothing but a stare in response. The atmosphere grows heavy and the intensity of the stare-off is becoming seriously oppressive. It sets you on edge right away.

"Ooooooookay, or don't answer at all and just sit there like a weirdo."

"I know you're quite fond of taking things that aren't yours, but I hope you have sense enough to know when not to push your luck,” she says in what seems like little more than a whisper, but the gravity of her words is no less diminished.

"This?" you ask, shifting your armload of food a bit, "Community property. Fair game. Since when are you interested in my eating habits though?"

"I couldn't care less what you see fit to shove down that gullet of yours."

"So this isn't about the food?"

"No."

"Then... what?"

"I can't discern whether you're playing dumb or if you're actually this dense," she says, narrowing her eyes and curling her lips into a subtle frown.

"Hey! First of all, fuck you," you spit, unceremoniously dumping the food on the counter to free yourself of the burden, sending a few nutrition cylinders clunking and rolling along the metal surface.

You step towards the couch nearest you, vaulting over it in one bound, landing on the cushions with one arm draped casually along the back, "Second of all, most people who aren't completely out of their thinkpans don't play stupid word games to dance around what they actually want to say. Kinda contradicts the whole point of language being a thing that's useful for communication? Leave it to you humans to do something so backwards."

You resume your silent sparring match for a few moments until Rose sighs and rolls her eyes at you.

"Kanaya came to my room earlier today and was incredibly distraught. After I managed to calm her down, she told me what happened."

Her expression slips briefly as she's talking about her matesprit, revealing concern and something else you can't really place --but whatever it is it seems pretty disgusting to you. Matesprits, bluh.

"So? My quadrants aren't any of your business either," you fire back with an indifferent flip of your hair, "I'm sure Karkat would be thrilled to give you a quick refresher on how this incredibly basic stuff works. Y’know, because quadrants. And you're a human. See what I did there?"

"It is expressly my business since it concerns my partner," Rose says firmly, showing no sign of being fazed by the choice burn you just laid down.

"Fiiiiiiiine. I guess I've gotta be the one to spell this out for you then. You and her are flushed," you lean forward, resting your elbows on your knees and spreading your hands earnestly, "Or are you double dipping in that gross red/pale way that humans seem to do? Ew no wait, don't even answer that, I can't stomach the thought of you two filling a pail during a feelings jam."

Rose opens her mouth to say something you can only assume is snarky and lame, so you keep talking to spare her from embarrassing herself any further. It's unreal how generous you are being right now. Troll St. Vincent is probably weeping tears in admiration of your magnanimity.

"Anyhow, I was just trying to give Kanaya what she’s been wanting. Blackways," you offer with a grin and a suggestive eyebrow waggle, "So it's actually, factually, legitimately none of your business how many hatemakeouts she and I have. Deal with it."

"Oh for fuck's sake," Rose says through gritted teeth, throwing her arms up and rising from the couch to walk briskly towards you. She makes quick work of the distance, looming over you and leaning forward as she practically shouts, "Kanaya doesn't hate you, you extravagant bitch. She used to be FLUSHED for you.”

"I couldn't for the life of me sort out how you managed to so fail spectacularly at noticing the way she felt, but you've done a rather fine job of elucidating just how deep your daftness runs. So m----"

And there she goes. Ranting away.

You blink as your thinkpan tries to process this completely unexpected revelation Rose has dropped on you. Normally this train of thought might continue further, but right now you're riding the Serket Express at full steam and there are way more pressing matters at hand. Trying to sort out your ex-moirail's alleged flushed feelings of days past is going to have to wait a while because right now there is an alien getting in your face and spitting pure vitriol, and you are infinitely more concerned with how much it is starting to turn you on.

Her words have stopped registering as anything more than dull background noise now. Instead, you're completely tuned in to her body language, the way her lips move, and how that condescending tone of hers grates on you just right. You wonder if she's even aware of what she's actually doing. Probably not, which makes it even better.

Rose was pretty insufferable before you succeeded in making her drop her soporific beverage habit. You only found her slightly less insufferable after that, since she was still a stuck-up know-it-all. But Rose isn't a troll, so it hadn't really occurred to you that she might actually make a good kismesis. The fact that she's a clueless alien who is now bumbling into a domain she should really keep her obnoxious face out of only serves to irritate you even more.

Even though your gamble earlier today was a total bust, a voice in the back of your mind is screaming at you that now is the time to double down.

And so you do.

Reaching up to grab the collar of her robe, you slowly pull her towards you and press your lips to hers, ignoring her muffled protests as she struggles in confusion. You keep your eyes shut tightly, bracing yourself for another slap that’s probably coming.

You wait.

But it never happens.

The tension melts away and you realize that she's actually... kissing you back?

Yes. Hell yes.

Hell. Fucking. Yes.

Okay, you probably shouldn't be as surprised as you are since you knew this was possibly a thing that might occur. But still, holy filial pails this is sweet. Reveling in the win, you deepen the kiss, leaning in a bit more forcefully, somehow remembering to breathe despite your excitement.

When you part, Rose's eyes dart between your lips and your eyes.

"Oh no," she whispers in disbelief, looking both confused and worried.

"Oh yesssssss," you counter brilliantly, flashing your toothiest of smiles as you watch the implications of the situation dawn upon her.

You sense that she's about to abscond, and while you could easily use your refined powers to stop her, that would make things really boring. So instead, you quickly loop your arms around her waist and pull her right onto your lap. You immediately notice how warm she feels, like a lowblood. It's kinda weird, but you don't find it all that unpleasant, actually. A blush spreads across her cheeks as she starts to say something else you definitely don’t give a shit about:

“Is this some kind of game to you? People aren’t your playthings, were you not listening to what I was saying bef--”

"Lalonde," you sigh in annoyance, "Shut the fuck up, okay? I get it. I'll leave your matesprit alone if that's what you really want."

"You never do anything unless you stand to gain from it," she says accusingly, narrowing her eyes, “So in exchange I’m to… surrender myself to you? Is that what this is?”

"Pffff. Okay wow, you really must be clueless," you say with a light chuckle, "Look, you don't _have_ to do anything you don't want to. That's not how blackrom works, so please don't kill the nice mood you've set here by asking such a laaaaaaaame question."

"I’ve spent more than enough time with literature on quadrants. I just…” her gaze falls as she trails off.

“Then if you're half as smart as you act like you are, you already know the answer," you reach up to flick her forehead with one finger, "Schoolfeeding hours are over."

Brow furrowed again, she glances away and a minute passes in silence as she engages in some sort of inner debate, staring off into the distance lost in thought as she considers your challenge. Then, holding your shoulders for balance, she shifts completely onto your lap so that she's straddling you. You release your grip as she does, letting your hands settle tentatively on her hips.

When she looks into your eyes again, you can tell that any traces of uncertainty are gone, replaced instead with the haughty resolve that you find so beautifully contemptible.

Rose leans against you, pressing her lips to yours once more, kissing you so tenderly that it makes you bristle with anger. You prepare to retaliate with the right intensity, but just as you move she pulls away, leaning out of reach and treating you that smug little smile of hers. You strain to lean closer, but it's not possible to bridge the gap with the way she's sitting on you.

You exhale sharply in frustration, sneering back at her and giving her thighs an approving squeeze. Maybe she isn't as clueless as you thought after all.

Many more furtive kisses are exchanged as the minutes slip by, leaving you both panting heavily for not wanting to end the choice makeouts and be outdone by the other. Your cheeks burn and your head swims, but the world is eventually brought back into focus by an uncomfortable tightness in your jeans, which is all but impossible to ignore now that Rose has begun slowly and deliberately rocking her hips against you.

Oh shit.

At this juncture, it occurs to you that you’re now completely and utterly out of your depth. The kissing part has been great, but this surprise development is making you as equally nervous as you are curious. No matter how many PailTube videos you may have watched in your time, you're still left feeling woefully unequipped to deal with whatever’s next. You're no coward though, so you just sort of bury your face against her shoulder and try to suppress the shudder that ripples through your body, hoping you'll figure out the right thing to do soon enough.

“Well now,” Rose says, leaning over and planting a kiss on your neck, “You’ve grown awfully quiet. What a momentous occasion--you not running your mouth for once. If I’d known this was the most effective way to silence the great Vriska Serket, I might have tried it sooner.”

No no no, say something quick and save this, you fucking idiot. She’s figured it out.

“Maybe you should take a good hard look in the mirror because you’re even worse tha--AH!” your attempt to sass her is cut short as she grabs your lower back for leverage, pulling herself down harder and applying more pressure to your bulge--a not altogether unpleasant reminder that she’s the one holding the reins now.

Evidently pleased with your reaction, Rose continues to grind against your now fully unsheathed bulge, showing you that she's very much aware of what a few thin layers of fabric are separating her from. Her lack of surprise tells you all you need to know, and while you're annoyed she completely has the advantage here (no thanks to Fussyfangs apparently), on some level you feel relieved that at least one of you has a clue what they’re doing.

For a moment, you just stare at each other, waiting to see who will be the bigger cluckbeast and make some excuse to leave for the night. Your bloodpusher is thumping away in your chest and your ears are ringing in the silence. Her eyes search yours as she reaches for the hem of your shirt, tugging at the edge and seeking permission. You slowly lift your arms, keeping your gazes locked as the garment clears your head and is cast aside.

Rose smiles mischievously, running her fingernails down your chest and grazing the smooth flesh of your rumblespheres. Feeling a reflexive need to try and level the playing field, you pull at her orange robe. You find it distasteful that she insists on wearing her god tier outfit around all the time, flaunting it as if to draw constant attention to yet another way in which she thinks she's better than everyone. Except you, of course. So it gets tossed on the floor, becoming nothing more than a bunch of fabric without its wearer, showing no trace of the power it signifies.

Her chest looks pretty much like yours, except for the small circles and nub-like protrusions at their center. You're not really sure what to make of it so you sort of just reach up and...poke one.

"Do these do something?" you ask, still in a bit of a daze.

"Would you like the technical explanation or the fun explanation?" Rose says while absently twirling a few strands of your hair around one finger.

"How is that even a question?" you say bluntly.

"Then yes, they feel good if you touch them right."

Conditional immortality aside, you know how fragile the humans are built compared to trolls, so you gently place your hands on her chest, caressing the soft flesh and running your fingers over those odd little bumps. You notice her breath hitches a bit as you do so, and the blush on her face deepens. Enjoying the reaction this elicits, you make a mental note of this new weak spot to revisit later.

Just as you're thinking of something clever to say about this, she slides off your lap and stands before you again. She kicks off her slippers and then reaches for the waistband of her orange leggings, rolling them down and stepping out with ease, which renders her entirely bare before you as she tosses the remaining garments into the growing pile.

You want to take her down a peg by telling her she looks completely ridiculous, but as your gaze traces down the soft curves of her form you have to admit that Rose is breathtaking in a way you don’t fully understand.

The small patch of hair and the single little crease between her legs makes you curious about the differences in your anatomy, but before you can lean forward to get a closer look, Rose sits down next to you, resting a hand on your thigh and rubbing it slowly.

You blink absently in response, "What?"

"These will have to come off," she says, gesturing to your pants which you are still wearing for some stupid reason, "Unless you’d rather quit while you’re ahead?"

You’re drawing a complete blank and she’s forcing your hand. Time to bluff.

"No! Yes? I mean I was just... nevermind." you say, fighting the temptation to smack yourself on the forehead for how bad that came out. You quickly undo the button and slide your lower half out of confinement while also trying to pretend that you weren't staring at her as hard as you were. The air hits your skin and makes you keenly aware of how exposed you are, but it's much more comfortable than being pressed against the sticky mess that was building in your boxers.

Rose looks down at your bulge, which is now writhing freely in the open and…

Oh jegus. Did she seriously just bite her lip?

"Humans don't have one," she says calmly, reaching over and tracing one finger up the underside of the traitorous appendage and sending a shiver up your back, "In case you were wondering."

You manage to nod, unable to really do much else because you're too focused on how her hand sets your nerves on fire as she wraps her fingers around you and starts smoothly stroking your length. It feels nothing like all the times you've had to fill a pail on your own, pent up and sickeningly desperate for release. Again, you're both frustrated and impressed with her seeming expertise, struggling with the notion that you want nothing more than for her to keep working whatever magic this is. You whimper in disappointment when she disentangles her hand from you, kicking her legs up onto the couch and laying down on her side.

"Come here," she says while raising an arm up at you, "Amusing a spectacle as it might be, I don't think you would enjoy pailing all over the floor."

"Shut up," you murmur while scooting over and managing to fit yourself parallel to her without falling to the floor.

A dozen invasive thoughts cross your mind, but you ignore all the stupid things you feel like blurting out, opting instead to kiss her more in the hope that it'll distract you from the odd sinking sensation in the pit of your stomach. If Rose can tell, she doesn't let on, and calmly raises her leg to rest it over your hip, using it as leverage to pull you closer together. Her hand slides down your stomach and finds your bulge again, making you tense in anticipation for more attention from her fingers. Instead, she holds it firmly and guides it between her legs, pressing it against the outside of what seems to be her nook. It's warm and slick, both from her own fluids and now yours. Something clicks into place and your bulge reacts, slithering through her folds in response to the heat. It finds her entrance and begins to work its way inside, while Rose shifts her hips a bit to coax it along.

You're not sure whether it's owed to physiological differences or what, but her human nook feels incredibly snug, and the sensation is overwhelming now that your bulge is buried to the base. Reflex completely taking over, it switches to that slow undulation meant to stimulate a partner's genetic bladder from the inside. You doubt she has one, but given the soft moans she’s started making, something must be working for her.

“You alright there?” you ask searchingly, still not quite certain what to do.

Rose whimpers and nods in response, trying to scoot herself closer to you. You can feel her squeezing down on you from inside, but it's not enough to keep your bulge from continuing its movements. It just makes everything more intense, and each little shift helps you sense every inch you're now connected by. That aside, you're also getting a huge kick out of watching Rose Lalonde turning into a hot mess in your arms, nook stuffed full of your bulge.

"Can you... move your hips a little?" she asks breathily, nipping at your neck. You oblige, pulling out halfway despite your bulge's natural inclination to stay put, then letting it twist itself back into her a moment later. It's unbelievably electrifying, so you do it again. And again. Moving in unison, you both manage to work out a rhythm, neither of you sure who has the lead anymore, or whose hands are where and what's being touched. You struggle to comprehend how someone so off-putting is actually making you feel better than you ever have.

A pang of jealousy also hits you deep in the chest, because on some level you know you're probably nowhere near as good as Kanaya and won’t have a chance to catch up. Even though being second-best never sits well with you, you have zero interest in taking her place. But Fussyfangs is too docile to fix Rose's still-mostly-terrible-ness, so maybe if you’re lucky you can be the one to fuck some sense into this girl?

Which brings you back to matters at hand: you've definitely hit your stride now and are getting the hang of whatever you'd call this thing the two of you are doing. Your mouth wants to say a million things but your mind is completely blank-- which is unusual given how stir-crazy you've been. You pant heavily, pressing your forehead to Rose’s as you continue to rock your hips against her. If you weren’t so focused on trying to keep the pace, you’d be content just to observe and take pleasure in every reaction and movement she’s making.

It’s a hungry feeling, wanting to know all the best ways to move and touch her. How to make her weak so you can break down that cool facade she uses to mask all her flaws. You want nothing more than to do that for her, another unsettling thought that makes you feel something you’d prefer not to feel. You try to shut it out but it only grows stronger, building up with a tension inside you that is strong enough to rip you apart at the seams. Or maybe it’s just because you’re about to...

"Fuck," you say through gritted teeth, "I need a pa--"

Before you can finish your sentence, Rose presses a finger to your lips, looking into your eyes and shaking her head. She places her other hand at the small of your back and pushes her pelvis against yours insistently, holding you in place. Your eyes go wide and you try not to faint from the sheer obscenity of the fact that she is the pail. It's her. This is so fucking lewd you can barely handle it.

"You're sick, you know that?" you whisper, unable to resist grinning at her depravity.

"Evolution would say otherwise. But if you'd prefer not to..."

"Hell. No," you object, holding her tighter for fear that she'll try to move away, "This is what you like, so..."

You turn your head away, but she cups your cheek and pulls you into another kiss. You're not sure, but you swear that you can feel her inner walls moving, coaxing your bulge to release.

Your hips buck and in an instant a hot flow of genetic material rushes out, your bulge spasming and pumping a copious amount of thick slurry deep into her nook. If you were capable of any coherent thought at this moment, you might wonder if she’s enjoying it too. Fortunately, you aren't left waiting long for your answer. In response to the pressure, Rose shivers violently and tilts her head back, moaning and drawing several ragged breaths until the tremors subside.

Both of you lie still for a minute, still trying to savor the connection before the glow begins to fade.

"That was...." she pauses and exhales deeply, "rather alright."

"Well excuse me for not being the village two-wheeled device like you are," you say, lightly dragging your nails up her back.

"What a flattering title, but I'm afraid you give me more credit than I deserve. You're my second."

"And you’re sure you’re alright with...this?”

“Does this look like the face of someone who isn’t?”

“I dunno. Not an expert on weird human facial contortions.”

"We’ll make a scholar of you yet," she says while tracing a finger along your jawline, "But since you ask, I might even be so inclined as to try for another round."

"Oh reaaaaaaally? Sure you’re up for it?”

“Perhaps. But not right this minute. I wouldn’t want to overstay our welcome here,” she says, shifting her legs off the couch to stand and begin dressing.

Instead of repeating the earlier process in reverse and treating you to another nice little show, she instead opts to captchalogue the garments and instantly don them from her sylladex, leaving her fully clad in her god tier garb once more. You click your tongue in annoyance as she gathers up your clothes and tosses them at you, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

You opt to dress the slow way, partly in a show of defiance but also because messing with your sylladex in your current state of mind would be a poor show of judgment and likely to have disastrous consequences. As you slide into your jacket, Rose steps over to adjust the collar for you, her hands lingering. You lean in to steal another quick kiss, trying to savor the brief moment that your bodies touch again.

“Hey, what are you gonna do about the uh...material?”

“The body seems to be able to absorb and process it, so I just leave it.” Rose says, pressing a palm against her abdomen and smiling softly, “It actually feels very nice having it there. A sort of warm and tingly sensation.”

You facepalm and look away, still unable to believe what she’s telling you. “Okay, whatever,” you mutter.

Rose turns on her heel and begins to walk away. An uncomfortable thought resurfaces:

“And Kanaya?” you ask quietly.

“What about her?”

“I dunno. Will she have a problem with it?”

“It’s a bit late to be asking that now, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah but I wasn’t the one wh--” you cut yourself off, realizing it probably does you no good trying to lay blame for a situation you pretty much completely instigated.

“I haven’t the faintest idea what she’ll think, Vriska,” Rose says with a shrug and a light shake of her head before looking over her shoulder and locking eyes with you, “If you’d like, the three of us can sit down later and have a chat about it. Does that sound appealing to you?”

You’re dumbstruck yet again, unsure whether she’s threatening you or making some kind of twisted ashen solicitation. After what just happened though, you’re feeling lucky enough that you really don’t mind taking the risk to find out.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> ['Shared Light' is a song by Abakus.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr_FZUa-mzk)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> If you'd like to read something while you wait for the next part, [here is Chapter 1.5](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7345726)


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